Stevens said of his win: "First and foremost, I got to thank the man upstairs for taking care of me, my family, all the country music fans, God bless you and thank you so very much for all the votes. This is the best day of my life."

His mentor LA Reid said: "Congratulations to you, you deserve this... I think you represent The X Factor really well. So on behalf of myself, Simon [Cowell] and all of the judges, congratulations."